Ok, the title is actually a misnomer as this is a franc rather than a centime (100 centimes = 1 franc), but I was going for the alliteration. For those that don't know French Polynesia is a collection of islands that form a Constituent Country (a 'country' that is part of a larger entity such as Greenland and Denmark). Over 150 islands that make it up are located in the South Pacific Ocean (East of Australia). The most well known and largest of the islands is Tahiti, which is also the most populated of the islands. The capital of French Polynesia is Papeete, and the largest city has an interesting name: Faaa.

French Polynesia used normal French francs until 1914 when special bills were made for use on the islands. Then for a few years in the 1940's the island used a CFP franc (Think of it as Colonies of the French Pacific, New Caledonia and New Hebrides also used these bills). Then in 1949 coins that most resemble this one began to appear. CC 239 is a 1 franc coin made in 1965. To learn more about the history of the French Polynesian Franc check here and some general information can be found at this French Polynesian franc page.

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Collections

The Sholesonian is an online museum databasing all the unique, scientific, and interesting things I've found over the years. Every week I'll be posting up at least one new item to the collection along with a little tidbit on what it is. Enjoy!